Junior Achievement salutes outstanding students of 2023
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
Junior Achievement of Arizona is announcing the 18 under 18 winners of 2023.
They’ve started businesses and nonprofits, broken glass ceilings, volunteered or advocated for a cause, but all have something in common: They are not waiting until they are adults to make a difference in the world. These Arizonan students distinguish themselves with their creativity, passion and drive, Junior Achievement representatives report.
“Each year, we’re amazed by the next class of students,” said Katherine Cecala, CEO of Junior Achievement of Arizona. “They advocate for causes, start nonprofits to help others in our community, work with their schools to bring new ideas and programs to their schools, care about the environment or advocate for causes. They all have bright futures and we’re honored to know them.”
Meet the 2023 Junior Achievement of Arizona 18 under 18 winners:
Lily Messing
Age: 17
School: The Gregory School in Tucson
Year: Junior
City: Tucson
Lily Messing is the founder of 100+ Teens Who Care, a giving circle made up of high school students dedicated to making real, meaningful changes in their community. In its first year, the group gained 200 members and donated more than $20,000 to local nonprofits. She has expanded to 18 other chapters in cities around the world.
Sanya Somani
Age: 17
School: Phoenix Country Day School
Year: Junior
City: Town of Paradise Valley
Sanya Somani co-founded the nonprofit HealthforHer, which is dedicated to providing health and educational resources for underserved women and their families around the world. The organization has ambassadors in the UK, Canada, Pakistan, South Korea, India, Tanzania, Russia, Armenia, and China.
Zack Okun
Age: 17
School: Desert Mountain High School
Year: Senior
City: Scottsdale
Zack Okun founded the nonprofit STEMducate, an organization focused on advocating and sharing the importance of STEM learning for all age groups. In just a few years, STEMducate programming has reached more than 24 states and 11 countries.
Nikhil Johnson
Age: 17
School: North High School
Year: Senior
City: Phoenix
Nikhil Johnson migrated to Arizona from India when he was just three years old. He is passionate about fostering equity and cultivating more interest in STEM careers and is working on a project with the White House to expand the STEM Ecosystem.Damian Carrizosa
Damian Carrizosa
Age: 16
School: Gilbert High School
Year: Junior
City: Gilbert
As more Americans carry debt from month to month, Damian Carrizosa is on a mission to help people make smart money choices and build credit responsibly. He is working with FICO (Fair Isaac Corporation) to launch the newest program in the U.S. that provides credit literacy for teenagers.
Saba Shakir
Age: 17
School: Hamilton High School
Year: Senior
City: Chandler
Saba Shakir knows the power of connection and adaptability. She launched an effort that now delivers more than 200 handmade cards every month to three Valley memory care centers, and started a small business to help cover the ongoing costs of supplies.
Stuthi Das
Age: 18
School: Hamilton High School
Year: Senior
City: Chandler
Stuthi Das is an entrepreneur with a heart for property-homes and helping the homeless. She has spearheaded several projects over the years, selling handmade goods and donating the proceeds to organizations like Phoenix Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity, Education Empowers, and Child Crisis of Arizona.
Ronak Bhatia
Age: 17
School: Perry High School
Year: Junior
City: Chandler
Ronak Bhatia is proof you are never too young to make an impact. He started the group Brothers and Sisters Serving Others (BSSO) when he was just six years old. Ten years later, his group became an official nonprofit and has raised more than $50,000 for local families in need.
Alexis Li
Age: 16
School: Hamilton High School
Year: Junior
City: Gilbert
When her grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago, Li channeled that curiosity into a new mission. She founded Innovation Leads the Way, spearheading scientific research and innovation to study diseases and other challenges for social good.
Jennifer Vo
Age: 17
School BASIS Chandler
Year: Senior
City: Gilbert
Jennifer Vo founded the Arizona Chapter of Generation Ratify, a movement by youth advocates to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. She has lobbied the Arizona Congress to support ERA and Equality Act, organized school walkouts, collaborated with other youth groups, and helped Utah and Nevada start their own Generation Ratify chapters.
Harper Hipps
Age: 17
School: Xavier College Preparatory
Year: Junior
City: Phoenix
Harper Hipps created the Immerse Science Pop-up Club and teaches a monthly science lesson for adults with developmental disabilities living at Goldensun Peace Ministries, a group home in the Valley. She also offers programming at Southwest Autism Research Center’s (SARRC) affordable housing complex called First Place-Phoenix.
Daniel Jung
Age: 16
School: Pusch Ridge Christian Academy
Year: Junior
City: Oro Valley
Daniel Jung created SOCA Charity Mission in 2020. The organization has served more than 700 people through charity drives that provide refugee families with food, supplies, toiletries, and holiday toys.
Isabella Serrano
Age: 18
School: Queen Creek high School
Year: Senior
City: Queen Creek
Isabella is committed to serving her community through volunteering. Whether spearheading events for the Animal Welfare League and Pinal County Animal Shelter or sending toothbrushes to undeveloped countries around the world, Isabella is always looking for ways to make an impact.
Abby Pearson
Age: 16
School: Xavier College Preparatory
Year: Junior
City: Phoenix
Abby Pearson has always been passionate about the environment and limiting her family’s carbon footprint. She has taken that passion one step further by spearheading a composting project in her neighborhood. With 25 neighbors now on board, Abby has redirected more than 1000 gallons of organic material from a landfill to the Pierson Street Garden compost pile in Phoenix.
Molly Budhiraja
Age: 16
School: BASIS Peoria
Year: Junior
City: Glendale
Molly Budhiraja not only has a heart for serving others, but she also developed an app to help connect teens with local charities in need. Her nonprofit, “My Wish for My Community,” has organized several community events in the past two years, and volunteers served approximately 800 hours in their communities just last year.
Sandeep Sethuraman
Age: 15
School: BASIS Chandler
Year: Junior
City: Chandler
Sandeep Sethuraman is an avid chess player. When the world shut down during the pandemic, he saw a need to grow the game in Arizona and started online tournaments and tutoring. In 2021, he created The Chess Effect and set out to make chess accessible to anyone who wanted to play.
Georgia Bukata
Age: 16
School: BASIS Scottsdale
Year: Junior
City: Scottsdale
Georgia Bukata is an award-winning scientist and current research intern with Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Center for Rare Childhood Diseases, where she’s using her math skills to study protein modeling and coding.
Nathanial George
Age: 16
School: Brophy College Preparatory
Year: Junior
City: Phoenix
Nathanial George founded The Cactus Flower Initiative for Youth Entrepreneurship to create more resources for students interested in business and entrepreneurship. The organization hopes to one day create legislation focused on youth entrepreneurship in Arizona and is currently working with Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee to create a “Youth Entrepreneur Day.”
